More Numerous in the North
People in the northern tier of the breeding range are finally seeing their first monarchs. Amazingly, six monarchs were sighted on Tuesday in South Dakota:

"I have seen at least 6 monarchs today, the first I have seen this year. It has been a very cool, wet spring and I was beginning to wonder if we were going to see any." June 11, 2013 Branden, SD

Late Southern Sightings
To the south, several people reported their first-of-year monarchs last week too. From North Carolina:

"The wait is over! I spotted my first monarch this morning as she was flying around, hopefully laying eggs on our milkweed. This year's first sighting comes two months later than 2012." June 11, 2013Yanceyville, NC

These late southern sightings help explain the profile shown on the graph. Notice the surge in sightings during the past two weeks.

Dr. Brower's Annual CensusIn Wisconsin, Dr. Brower has conduced an annual census since 1984. This year had the fewest monarchs and the latest milkweed he's ever seen.

"We think the cold spring is the culprit, but the paucity may also reflect the low numbers of overwintering monarchs that made it back from Mexico into the US this past spring. In either case it is not auspicious because it will likely mean there is one less summer generation produced in the north country." Full article